Journal Staff
On Guam the use and possession of illicit drugs has become a widely publicized issue.
Of more than 200 magistrates complaints filed in the Superior Court of Guam in 2025, approximately a third of defendants were charged with possession of controlled substances.
Beyond the negative and dangerous impact to society, an overlooked problem is the effect drugs have on the island’s workforce.
A number of businesses and the government of Guam conduct pre-employment or random drug testing amongst their workforces.
Dr. James Bourland, Diagnostic Laboratory Services Inc. 's toxicology scientific director, told the Journal that drug testing leading to staffing shortages or hiring issues are “a common topic and complaint among human resource administrators.”
DLS’s toxicology department in Guam performs roughly 500 to 600 workplace forensic drug tests each month for companies on the island, with the most common being pre-employment testing.
The lab offers a standard urine drug Substance Abuse Panel 5 or 10 which tests for drugs like amphetamines, cocaine, marijuana, and opiates. However, Bourland said that the most commonly ordered panel is SAP 5 which tests for amphetamines, cocaine, marijuana, opiates, and phencyclidine.
On Guam, DLS often finds positive tests for methamphetamine and marijuana, which Bourland said is standard for the island. “[There are] no new trends. Guam is notable for methamphetamine confirmed positives, closely followed by THC.” THC is the main psychoactive chemical in cannabis.
Approximately 5% to 10% of pre-employment drug tests come back positive, Bourland said.
DLS is one of the largest drug testing companies on Guam with 14 sites, some of which are attached to medical clinics on the island and has a site in Saipan.
Lawmakers and government officials have also chimed in on drug testing in the workplace.
Sen. Vincent Anthony Ada, vice speaker of the 38th Guam Legislature, introduced Bill 34-38 to amend the Guam Code Annotated to require any person who resigns from government service within 30 days of an announced drug testing, must submit and pass a drug test to retain their reemployment rights.
During the Feb. 21 public hearing of the bill, Ada said this is a measure to prevent government employees from dodging drug tests to then seek reemployment later.
Additionally, Guam’s attorney general, Douglas B. Moylan proposed a measure to Sen. Telo T. Taitague which would allow the AG to terminate an employee in his office upon a failed drug test among other “offensive” measures in his “Crime Victim and People of Guam’s Protection Reform Act of 2025.”
Moylan said in a Feb. 24 statement, “This legislation reverses bad laws that hurt We the People.”
The Government of Guam maintains that all of its employees should not use drugs pursuant to Executive Order No. 95-29.
The Guam Department of Administration told the Journal on March 6 that from January to March to date, 11 government of Guam employees tested positive for drug usage.
However, employees testing positive for drugs can retain their employment through the Safe Harbor Program.
The program is designed for classified government employees to voluntarily seek treatment and rehabilitation for substance abuse. Employees under the Safe Harbor provision are “insulated from disciplinary action up to and including dismissal,” according to DOA, but it does not protect employees in Test Designated Positions, or positions that are subject to mandatory drug testing.
The Journal news team spoke with several companies regarding their policies for drug testing and usage. Replies are without identifying the companies or the executives the team spoke with, so that information could be freely shared.
Company 1 does business in a variety of market sectors and tests prior to hire. It doesn’t get positive results very often, but if yes, “It’s usually marijuana.”
Company 2 is in the construction industry and tests prior to hire, upon hire, in the interim and upon any accidents. In most cases of drug use, Company 2 finds marijuana, and “once in a while” crystal methamphetamine. Company 2 “does not condone any drug use in the workplace.”
Company 3 is a transportation company and requires pre-employment drug screenings for all potential hires, conducted through Reliance Testing. Two types of tests are administered: a non-U.S. Department of Transportation test and a U.S. DOT federal test. The latter is reviewed by a medical review officer.
At Company 3, pre-employment test results most frequently show positive for marijuana, largely due to its prolonged presence in the system. The source said crystal methamphetamine is more often detected during random drug tests conducted after hiring.
The company emphasized a zero-tolerance policy for drug use in the workplace. While the source acknowledged that marijuana is the most common substance flagged during pre-employment screenings, the company stressed that it adheres strictly to federal guidelines and does not condone any form of drug use among employees.
Company 4 is in the construction industry and an executive said safety standards are high for the company, which has zero tolerance for drugs. The company administers pre-employment drug screening which requires a negative result, and random drug tests as part of the regular safety process. If there's an incident, including near-miss accidents, the person(s) involved has/have to be drug tested. In the past year, there's been one person involved in an incident who tested positive. "We're pretty careful with the people we take," according to the executive.
Company 5 is in the tourism industry and deals with employees in positions where safety guidelines are firm and therefore has zero tolerance for drugs.
Its company executive said those who take drugs and know they’re going to test positive are likely to drop out of the hiring process. For example, Company 5 would inform an applicant they’ve been selected and ask the applicant to come in for processing and drug testing. The applicant either won’t show up that day, or they won’t show up for the drug testing. The executive acknowledged the absence could be due to many reasons but said drugs is likely one of them. The company also tests employees who were involved in safety-related incidents but has not had anyone test positive for meth.
One of the issues the company is trying to resolve is marijuana usage. There are some positions where the issue is straightforward, as job safety guidelines are based on the requirements of federal agencies like the Department of Transportation.
But the question is, what happens when an employee who isn't driving a bus or handling electric wires is involved in an incident and tests positive for marijuana, but says they took marijuana while on vacation? The executive said Company 5 would be interested in how other companies deal with that situation. mbj
Editor’s Note: Marijuana in Guam has been legal for medical use since 2015 and legal for recreational use since April 2019. The Journal welcomes comments on its usage by employees, and any other comments related to this story.